


The Wisdom of Solomon

by anon_nom_nom



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, episode related: "misplaced"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-17
Updated: 2012-03-17
Packaged: 2017-11-02 02:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/364109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anon_nom_nom/pseuds/anon_nom_nom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers through "Misplaced."</p><p>Before the dawn following Zatara's transformation, Batman provides Billy Batson with technical assistance and tenders a request.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wisdom of Solomon

"Punching the console is not recommended maintenance procedure."

Billy chuckled a little raggedly. He wasn't a hundred percent certain why Batman was out here himself in the middle of the night to look at the console that had rejected his override. Black cape jerking with the movements of his elbows, he leaned over the interface to begin the process of taking it apart. He'd obviously noticed the slight skew from when Billy had taken out his frustration before leaving.

So, when guilty, change the subject. Thankfully, there was something on topic: Batman hadn't commented when Billy had demonstrated the problem. 

"Did I get the code wrong?" he asked. The fact that the console was currently mid-disassembly made it sort of obvious that human error wasn't the problem, but it was decent excuse.

"No," Batman said. "It was a glitch in the programming. The override should not have been canceled by a negative recognition scan."

While Batman connected leads from an improbably large command interface that he'd produced from somewhere, Billy slid down the outside of the booth. It was barely big enough to hold Batman, let alone both of them; yawning, he leaned back and settled to the concrete. Really, he just wanted to go home. Captain Marvel might have the stamina of Atlas, but Billy Batson _definitely_ had the stamina of Billy Batson. Counting the adventure that had been getting to Mount Justice, he'd spent more time as a kid tonight than the World's Mightiest Mortal. Pulling his legs up to his chest, he rested a cheek on his knees and vaguely ran through who he'd need to talk to if he wanted to get the scanner to recognize said Billy Batson.

His secret was out now, and it was almost disappointing that the League hadn't really reacted to the news that Captain Marvel was a ten-year-old. Stinging guilt followed the disappointment: everyone was thinking about Zatara and Doctor Fate. His heart twisted at the thought of what had happened—he still felt like he should have been able to do something. All the wisdom of Solomon, and he couldn't think of a different way to save Zatanna.

Batman's voice jolted him out of his thoughts.

"It has been noted that you have been spending an unexpected amount of time in Mount Justice."

Billy lifted his head and almost responded with something about the kids needing guidance, then remembered who he was right now.

"Who noted?" he asked instead.

"The League."

"Er... the whole League?" Billy tensed: a scenario darted through his head of everyone talking about his weird behavior behind his back, but he dismissed it just as quickly as it came.

"Segments," said Batman. "In light of recent information, it seems you were attempting to associate with heroes closer to your own age."

Oh. So it was going to be _this_ conversation.

Billy considered retreating into Captain Marvel so he would have some idea how to respond. Except he'd proved his own courage just a few hours ago, and it would be silly to go back on it this quick, so he let the moment go and listened to the faint beeps of whatever Batman was doing to the console. He sort of hoped the subject would drop, but Batman didn't let it.

"I am certain the team would welcome another member."

There was a time—just a few days ago, really—that Billy would have jumped at that chance. But after Halloween, he'd done enough thinking as Captain Marvel to realize that, what he wanted from them, he'd have to earn for himself.

So he stretched nonchalantly and grinned toward the booth entrance, where Batman was watching him while a progress bar crawled across the screen in his hands.

"Nah," Billy said, letting his loosened arms fall back to his sides. "They'd crimp my style. I'm more a lone wolf type, prowling the night for evildoers—well, and also the day—"

Batman turned suddenly, his shoulder blocking his face as though he was checking the screen, and Billy had a shrewd suspicion that it was to avoid betraying an actual facial expression. As he leaned back to face the alley again, it occurred to him that he'd actually managed to get away with hugging Batman earlier.

 _Beep._ Leads clicked as they were disconnected and the console snapped shut, and there by the broken arcade games in a fairly skeezy back alley, Billy ruminated that nobody at school would believe even one part of this. Everything that had happened tonight, just... everything.

"Try it again."

Batman stepped out of the cramped booth and Billy hauled himself up to step in, strangely nervous. He'd never been scared of Batman like most everyone seemed to be sometimes, but he still felt like he was about to trip over the code he'd memorized ages ago.

"Captain Marvel, One Five, override HOJ-slash-Watchtower, priority red."

For a second, Billy's heart dropped: there was not a sound, not a flicker of light, then:

"Captain Marvel, One Five. Recognized."

"Ha!" said Billy, punching the air. Figuring he wouldn't get away with hugging Batman twice in one night, at least not as a kid, he limited himself to a beaming smile. "Thanks, Batman."

"It would be advisable to record a scan of your... base state in the Watchtower records."

"Yeah," said Billy as he left the booth. The air seemed lighter already.

"It was unnecessary to keep it a secret."

"I know," said Billy, shrugging a little more blithely than he felt. "I guess I just thought nobody would take me seriously."

Batman tilted his head slightly at that, but Billy noticed he didn't deny it. He used the time-honored tactic of subject change instead.

"You may have decided not to join the team, but you would not be first Leaguer to take an interest in them. You are already familiar to them and, given the events of the last few weeks, I..." Uncharacteristically, Batman hesitated before continuing. "I believe they could do with some of the wisdom of Solomon."

Breaking eye contact, Billy frowned at the dingy alley wall, his mind going back to Zatara. They hadn't really been friends, but he'd known the elder magician. Even so, he was more concerned about Zatanna: himself, he couldn't imagine trying to live without his uncle. It was quietly obvious, too, that that the team was still feeling effects from the training simulation three weeks ago, even if nobody talked about it. He didn't know what he could do or say to help.

Stronger than before, he wanted to go home and tell somebody everything, let out all his conflicting feelings about tonight—what happened to Zatara, how great it was to be indispensable for a night, how he'd got outed, how cool everyone had been, how scared he'd been underneath it all.

"Yeah," he finally said. "I think everybody could."

"Think about it," said Batman, and he slipped inside the booth again. The shadows of dawn made him invisible until the light from the scanner outlined him in green, then flashed brightly as it pulled him up to the Watchtower. Figured, that Batman had set the recognizer to silent.

Billy looked up at the heavens, where the stars were vanishing to make way for blue sky. It usually seemed like the wisdom of Solomon was his most useless power... well, except for that one time with Aqualad in India, after the team thought Red Tornado betrayed them. But now....

Now Zatara was gone.

Still. Being a hero was about trying, wasn't it?

Hanging onto his slightly dampened spirits, he smiled and turned toward home. He'd give it a few days, then see if Zatanna needed any help settling in. 

If nothing else, Captain Marvel was good for moving boxes.


End file.
